Beneath the Waves
by howlingwolf331
Summary: Merman Austin Moon always thought his life wasn't all that great. His mother died when he was four, his father has been setting strict rules, and Austin doesn't know why. And why is there talk about an evil mermaid seeking revenge on everyone in Mertropolis? Yup... he thought his life was all bad... until he met a certain songwriting human who always keeps to herself.
1. Chapter 1

This story came to mind when I was watching a video on merfolk. By the way, some of the names may be changed because of how plain they are. The only names that I know for sure I'm not changing is Austin and Ally's. I don't know if I'm putting Trish and Dez in this story, but I'll see how it goes. Also, there are links located somewhere in the story for images of some of the characters and their traits. So keep an eye out for them.

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Disclaimer: I don't own the t.v. show Austin & Ally or the characters. I also don't own any of the song's I may use in this story.

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And now I present to you... Beneath the Waves.

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Austin's POV

" And be home by moonrise!"

My father always tells me his rules that he has been setting ever since I was about four years old. He tells me them every time I ask if I can go hang out with my friends or by myself.

" And don't go past the arch of stone!"

I crossed my arms. I hate having to listen to this all the time.

" Dad, I know already! You tell me almost every single day!" , I complained.

One time I asked if I could go out by myself and he sent to goons to watch me. My dad looked at me and smiled.

" I know son, but I can't take to risk."

He let me go hang out with my friends.

" Hey guys, wait up!", I said, trying to catch up with them, Damon and Freddy. They stopped to turn around and look at me.

" My mom said I'm not allowed to hang out today," Damon said. Freddy nodded, indicating that his mom said the same thing. I wish my mom were still here. She died when I was four years old. My father told me she was captured by fishermen and killed after she wouldn't tell them where the rest of the merpeople were.  
By the way, my mom's name was Tamarra and my dad's name is Dracus.  
I said goodbye to my friends and began to swim around the city until I heard a conversation between a group of merfolk. I swam behind some seaweed to listen.

" She hasn't been spotted since three years ago. Maybe she is dead?", one mermaid said. Another concluded, " Actually, she has been seen with her minions about three days ago."

" Yeah, and I heard rumors that she wants Dracus's boy."

My eyes grew wide with fright. Who on Earth are they talking about? I swam away before they could see me. No wonder my father set all of those strict rules.

All of a sudden, something black and wire-like wrapped around my wrists and tail. As I looked around to see what they were or where they came from, my eyes landed on little black creatures that I know to be Big Gulper Eels. I jerked my wrists and wiggled my tail to get them off of me.  
Once I was free, I swam quickly to get away.

After swimming for about ten minutes, I came across the Stone Arch my dad always said to never pass. Out of breath, I looked behind me to see the eels getting closer and closer. Forget it! I started swimming again, passing under the stone arch. The eels were gaining on me and I was becoming tired. I knew I was getting further away from home and when I looked back, there was a whole swarm of them instead of just three.

Wham!

I swam into something. It looked like a bunch of square ropes and knots. A net! From the fishermen! I looked up and I could see the boat from down here. Then, I glanced around me looking for the eels that were nowhere to be found. I was relaxed that they were finally gone, but now I have bigger problems.

I could feel the net being pulled up towards the surface of the water. All I could think of was that this is how my mom was captured and killed. The net was starting to resurface and I frantically searched for any sign of a way out.

There was none.

By now I was already hanging in the air and all of the fishermen were gathered around me. My hands gripped the rope net tightly.

" What is that?", one man asked.

" It looks like a mermaid," said another. They all laughed.

" That is no mermaid, that is a merman. It doesn't even look like a woman, let alone a mermaid."

My eyes narrowed as one man in a brown suit cautiously walked up to me. He reach one hand up towards my tail. The next thing happened so fast that I barely even knew that I did it.

I raised my tail as far as it could go in this small net and smacked the man's hand, while hissing loudly. Everyone jumped back.

" Cut him down!"

I hit the ground hard and I started thrashing about. I made small screeching sounds as they picked me up and threw me into a medium sized tank. The same man in the brown suit that I had smacked with my tail, grabbed a knife from his pocket. My eyes narrowed and I hissed at him again.

" Oh, shut up!", he yelled as he sliced the top of the net and shook me out of it. Just as I was about to jump out of the tank, the man slammed a glass lid over it. I slapped the top of the tank with my hands.

" Set sail!"

One man yelled out, " What are we going to do with him?"  
The man driving the boat smirked.

" I think the aquarium will pay us good money for him," he said as he pointed at me with his thumb.  
All I could do was lay at the bottom of the tank and wait, wait for the inevitable.

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I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Beneath the Waves. I will try to make the chapters longer, but I just wanted to get this story posted.  
R&R please!


	2. Chapter 2

Austin's POV

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I was woken up by a sharp sound of something banging on the tank. Slowly, my eyes opened and I looked up. The loud noise was the man in the brown suit hitting the tank with his hand to wake me up. I glared at him. He smirked down at me, while waving his friends over to come help pick up the tank I was in. Once four of the men picked me up, they started to walk towards a weird looking creature on what looked like huge black and silver circles ( A truck).

They put me on it and they climbed into the front. A man covered the tank with an old tattered blanket.

" There. We don't want people seeing you right now. That will have to wait for the aquarium." All of a sudden we were moving. About an hour had passed and I was still being rocked around by the movement. I heard a loud screeching noise and we came to a stop. Four men lifted me off of the 'truck' ,which I learned the name of when they said it, and they carried me to the aquarium. When we had stopped, I could hear mumbling and mutters of them talking to someone.

Then, the blanket that was covering me was ripped off of the tank and I squinted with how bright it had gotten. After my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I could vaguely make out a man looking down at me.

" This is what you have brought me?" he said. All of the men nodded.

" Yes, and I believe they are called mermaids," he looked down, tauntingly, at me, " or in your case, mermen." I glared and hissed.

" Well, he doesn't seem very nice," the owner said.

The man looked up at him and asked, " Do we have a deal?"

" Yes."

The men carrying me took me to a platform where I could see a big body of water and some plants and rocks. As they opened the lid to the tank, the owner said, " Do you men have any idea of what this thing eats?" They all shook their heads.

Suddenly, the tank was being tipped over. On instinct, I pressed up against the wall to keep myself from falling into the aquarium's tank until the men beat it with their hands, which startled me into falling in.

Splash!

I swam into a cave that was in between some rocks. I rested my head on a patch of moss and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

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Ally's POV

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" Ally!"

Rose, my foster mother, called out. I am currently living in a foster home because my mother, Penny Dawson, and my father, Lester Dawson, died in a car accident when I was three years old. Rose is the nicest person I've ever met.

I'll tell you a few things about me. I am fifteen years old, I love to sing and write my own songs. I love to read. Let's see, I wonder if I'm missing anything... Oh yeah, I can't swim to save my life..

" Ally! Your application that I sent in to the aquarium got accepted. You're hired!"

I groaned.

" Rose, I don't like the aquarium! What if I fall into one of the tanks? Especially one with sharks! You know I can't swim!"

She may be the nicest person I've ever met, but she certainly doesn't know how to listen. Rose came upstairs to my room.

" Ally, I doubt that they will have you work around the tanks on your first day, especially one with sharks," she said as she made her voice louder to put emphasis on the words 'especially' and 'sharks'. " You start in half an hour."

With that, she walked back downstairs.

" Oh, yay!" I groaned with fake excitement. I got into the shower and when I got out, I brushed my hair back into a ponytail. I didn't need to worry about picking something to wear because the aquarium gives the employees outfits.

I went downstairs and grabbed my cell phone and my charm bracelet that my mother gave to me before she died.

If I was going to work at a place where there is almost nothing but water and scary looking sea creatures, then I would need all of the luck I could get.

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Yay! Chapter 2 is up! I'm currently working on chapter 3. R&R.


	3. Chapter 3

Ally's POV

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Rose drove me to the aquarium with ten minutes to spare, so that I could get dressed in the employee outfit.

" Bye, Rose. I'll see you later," I said as I hopped out of the truck.

" Bye, sweetie!" And she drove off.

I looked at the entrance that was light and dark blue with two large tanks on the outside. But the tanks weren't empty. They had huge sharks inside of them. I gulped before I started to walk to the owner's office. When I got there, the owner looked up at me and smiled.

" Why, hello! You must be Miss Dawson."

I held my hand out to shake his, " Please, just call me Ally."

" Ok, Ally." He turned and grabbed something out of a drawer. " Here is your outfit and you will be working in..." He grabbed a clipboard off of his desk and flipped through some pages. " In our newest exhibit."

He looked up at me and smiled. My heart started to beat really fast.

" Um, sir? That wouldn't happen to be near water, would it?"  
" Ally, why are you asking stupid questions," I thought to myself. He looked at me like I had two heads.

" Ally, it's an aquarium. All of the exhibits are_ in_ water." I sighed and left to go get dressed. After I finished, I started to walk to the exhibit when I realized that he didn't tell me which exhibit it was, where it was, or what was in it. I turned back around and walked back to his office. I knocked three times and walked inside.

" Sir, I don't know which exhibit it is or where it is." He chuckled.

" It is number 23 and it is in the 5th tunnel, you can't miss it."

" Ok." I wrote the directions on a piece of paper. " What do I need to do?"  
I heard his tap his fingers on his desk.

" You're going to feed him some fish. There is a platform on the top of the tank. You'll have to go up the stairs on the side of it. The fish is already there." I nodded.

" One last question, what exactly is in the tank?" I was biting my lip, hoping that it at least wouldn't be sharks. He looked up at me and grinned.

" You'll see when you get there, Miss Allison."

I was really nervous now. Instead of asking any more questions and making him more irritated then he already was, I walked out of his office and towards the exhibit. My footsteps were becoming so slow with each step I took.

Tunnel 1... Tunnel 2... Tunnel 3... Tunnel 4... Tunnel 5. I looked up, seeing a big blue sign, " Exhibit 23". As I read, I turned to the maintenance man. " Excuse me, why is there only one exhibit in this tunnel?" He looked up at the sign.

" Because the creature in there is extremely rare. We wouldn't want anything upsetting it or the other way around." With that said, he walked off with a broom in his hand. I looked up at the sign once more, before biting my lip and slowly walking inside. It was super dark when I first entered the tunnel, but I could already see the blueish glow of the lit up tank. Finally, I reached the tank.

It was wide and it only had some rocks, grass, and a couple of caves... but still no creature. I looked towards the bottom of the tank and it looked like it never ended. The deeper you got, the darker and more murky the water got. I really couldn't see anything swimming besides some tropical fish. I shrugged and turned towards the stairs that were next to the edge of the tank.

Walking up the stairs seemed to take forever, but when I got to the top, where the platform was, I could see the bucket of fish. I went over and took three out of it.

" Ew, gross!" I said before I threw them into the tank. I waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Grabbing two more fish, I knelt down on the edge of the platform and dipped the fish in the water. Five minutes passed. Nothing.

Ugh! What am I supposed to do if this thing won't eat?! I turned my head and a bucket of seaweed caught my eye.

Sigh.

I walked to the bucket and pulled out a handful. Biting my lip, I walked to the edge of the platform again. But I didn't notice the puddle of water on the floor.

The next thing I knew, I was falling into the tank and sinking to the bottom. I struggled to kick myself back to the surface, but I couldn't.

My eyes were slowly slipping closed and my arms and legs stopped moving. I knew I was going to die. Wait a minute, something was pushing me back up!

I broke the surface of the water and was pushed onto the platform and onto my back. I was choking on the water. Once I caught my breath, I looked around to find my savior. Thinking it was going to be another worker, I was surprised when I didn't see anything or anybody. I started to get lightheaded so I grabbed my head.

Just then, I could feel a pair of eyes on me. I screamed and jumped back, pressing myself against the wall.

A blonde- haired boy was watching me and he was half in the water and half out.

" Are you okay?" I sat there, just watching him.

" You can talk?" I said as I hugged my knees to my chest. He nodded. " And you can understand me?" He nodded again.

" Are you okay?" he asked as he reached out to me. I glanced from his hand to his face and tried to back up further.

" Don't touch me!"

He looked like he was disappointed. " I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly as he rested his head on his crossed arms, which were resting on the platform. He squinted. " What is your name?" he asked. I looked at him, unsure, before answering, " Ally."

The boy grinned at me. " I'm Austin."


	4. Chapter 4

Austin's POV

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Ever since they brought me here and put me into this tank, I just hid in the caves. I figured that they would either let me go because they can't get me to come out or people would avoid coming to see me because I won't come out. I wrapped my arms around myself.

When I glanced above me, towards the surface of the water, I could see fish being thrown into the water. After a while, two more fish were being dipped in and I could see a figure of a human. I noticed that the fish were dead.

I rolled my eyes. " Yeah, like I am going to eat those," I thought to myself, while I looked down.

Splash!

My eyes snapped to the top of the tank and I saw the human. She had fallen in the water! And by the looks of it, she can't swim! I remember my dad telling me that humans cannot breathe under water for very long. I knew now that if I don't help her, she will die. The girl was already slowing her kicking.

I sighed before swimming out of the cave I was hiding in and over to her. I hesitated, but I knew I had to save her or people would think I killed her. So, I came up behind her and pushed her back towards the surface and onto the platform. Before she could see me, I ducked back under the water. After a while, I decided that I was going to take a peek.

I swam up and popped my head out of the water. I flinched when I heard a loud scream coming from the girl. I watched her back up against the wall and I asked, " Are you okay?"

" You can talk?" she asked me and I nodded. " And you can understand me?" I nodded again.

" Are you okay?" I asked her again as I reached out to her.

I pulled my hand back when she tried to back up further into the wall and yelled, " Don't touch me!"

Frowning, I told her, " I'm not going to hurt you," and I rested my head on my arms. I squinted, wondering if she had a name. " What is your name?" I asked. She looked a little surprised that I asked, but she still answered with, " Ally."

" Ally..." I thought to myself, " that was a nice name."

I grinned at her. " I'm Austin."

Ally's POV

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We sat there, staring at each other. " Are you hungry?" I asked, even though I was still a bit scared. He looked at the bucket of fish and back to me, " I don't eat fish."

I stood up and walked over to him, grabbing the seaweed I dropped on the floor when I slipped and fell into the tank. I put it in front of his face and he stared at it.

" How about seaweed?" He ripped off a small piece of one and popped it into his mouth. I smiled and set the pile of seaweed in front of him. When he was done eating, I looked down into the water. " Could I see?" I asked him and he looked up at me. He stared at me in confusion. I giggled. " Your tail..."

He hesitated before nodding and pushing me over a little, so that he could sit on the platform too. I reached over and ran my fingers along the scales on his tail. His tail was a beautiful golden-brown color.(1)

Ring Ring! Ring Ring!

I picked up my phone. " Hello?"

" Ally, It's Rose. I am outside to pick you up." I sighed.

" Okay, let me change and I'll be right out." She hung up. Austin looked at me.

" I'm sorry, but I have to go now." Austin slid back into the water and turned to look at me.

" Will I see you again?"

" I don't know... but I will try." He smiled before waving at me and disappearing under the water. I walked down the stairs and to the dressing rooms.

" Hey Rose," I said as I got into her truck.

" Hey, All- Why is your hair wet?" I smiled, thinking of Austin.

" Oh... nothing."

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(1) PM me for the link to Austin's tail


	5. Chapter 5

Ally's POV

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The next day, I got ready in the morning. I already had my outfit with me, so I just got dressed at home. Rose drove me to the aquarium. I went straight to the owner's office.

" Hey Sir."

" Ah, Ally Dawson. Did you figure out what that _thing_ eats?" I crossed my arms.

" Yes, actually. And _he_ eats seaweed." He stared at me, smirking.

" Well, same tunnel, same exhibit. The seaweed is already there."

As soon as I got to the platform, I tossed some seaweed into the tank. His hand shot up out of the water and grabbed it. I giggled and sat down on the edge of the platform.

" Hey Austin." He popped up right next to me, scaring me a little.

" Hey, Ally." I put my feet into the water. " You want to swim?" he asked.

" No, I can't swim."

A week passed and everyday that I went to work, he would ask me that same question. " You want to swim?" I always said no. One day he asked me why..? Why was I so scared of the water...? Why couldn't I swim...?

" Ally. What happened to you that made you like this?" I didn't answer him.

" Ally?"

I looked up at him. " It was a long time ago... I was about five years old. My parents were already dead at the time. I lived in an orphanage waiting for someone to take me home. The place wasn't bad at all... but the kids..." I looked back down," for the kids, I can't say the same. It was mostly the boys. The ones that were older than me. One day, the orphanage decided to have a pool built. I was probably the most excited kid there. I loved to swim. My mom gave me lessons back when she was alive. The pool was built, but no one was allowed to swim in it at night. So they put this cover on it. Only the cover wasn't on all the way."

" Some boys, who always picked on me, thought it would be funny to push me into the open area and close the cover the rest of the way. But they didn't know that the cover was way too heavy for any five year old to push it up. I guess they got scared that they would get caught and they ran away. Back then I could swim, but being in that situation..."

I looked up at him.

" I could have drowned... I could have died there if a lady hadn't heard me splashing and screaming." Austin looked at me with wide eyes. I looked at the water. " I should still be able to swim. But I guess what happened to me that day scared it right out of me. Now whenever I get into the water, I feel as if the weight of the cover is still on me."

Austin grabbed my hand and squeezed. " Maybe you just need someone there with you." My gaze met his. He slowly slid off of the platform and turned to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, getting ready to pull me in. I put my hands on his shoulders and tried to push him away, while starting to panic.

" A-Austin, I can't..."

" It's okay Ally. I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you."

I hesitated, but stopped trying to push him away. He took it as a sign to pull me in again and pretty soon the water was up to my waist. I looked into his eyes and shivered slightly at how cold the water was. I didn't notice him pulling us away from the platform until I looked around and screamed, not seeing it near me anymore. I shut my eyes tightly and tucked my head into his neck.

" Austin...?" I said, starting to panic again.

" It's okay Ally. It will be alright." He started to spin us slowly. I hugged him tighter. But then he started to take us under the water. My eyes snapped open.

" Austin. No!" He looked me in the eyes.

" You'll be fine." I frantically shook my head. " Ok, Ally! Look at me!" I felt his hand grab my chin. " Ok," he said.

He swam over to the platform and pushed me on it again. I looked down at my lap and he pushed some of my hair out of my face.


	6. Chapter 6

My mom just told me that we won't have internet from the 8th to the 15th, so I probably won't be able to post more chapters for a while...

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Austin POV

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As I listened to her story, I was beginning to get sad. She couldn't swim anymore because some stupid bullies decided they wanted to drown her as a joke.

" Maybe you just need someone there with you." her gaze met mine. I slowly slid off of the platform and turned to face her. I wrapped my arms around her waist, getting ready to pull her into the water. But she put her hands on my shoulders and tried to push me away. It looked like she was starting to panic.

" A-Austin, I can't..."

I felt bad for her. " It's okay Ally. I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you."  
She stopped trying to push me away and I pulled her in. She looked into my eyes and I could feel her shiver slightly. As she was distracted, I pulled her away from the platform, but she soon found out and screamed.

Ally tucked her head into my neck and her eyes were shut.

" Austin...?" she said. She started to panic again.

" It's okay Ally. It will be alright." I tried to calm her down by spinning us. She hugged me tighter. I started to take us under the water.

" Austin. No!"

I looked her in the eyes. " You'll be fine." She frantically shook her head.

" Ok, Ally! Look at me!" She just wouldn't listen to me. I grabbed her chin. " Ok," I said.

I swam over to the platform and pushed her on it again. She looked down at her lap and I pushed some of the hair out of her face. Right at that moment, I knew one thing. I was falling in love with Ally Dawson.

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Nobody's POV

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* Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the ocean...*

" Aw, how sweet." Samarra said.(1)

She was watching Austin and Ally in her crystal. " Little Austin is falling in love with a human female." Samarra laughed and swam over to her collections, one of which was a small pearl bracelet that belonged to someone close to her.

" My dear sister, all of Mertropolis will pay for what they have done to you." She put the pearl bracelet back down and swam back to the crystal that was projecting Austin and Ally sitting on the platform and talking.

" Oh, boys!" Samarra said and a swarm of Gulper Eels(2) swam to her. The crystal turned blurry and the picture changed to Austin swimming away from the eels and getting caught in the net. " You have done well, my pets. But we need to pay a certain merman a visit." She grinned.

* * *

" You'll never get away with this, Samarra!" Dracus said.

" Oh, but I already have. Because your little Mertropolis will soon be mine."

Dracus struggled against the seaweed ropes. " Austin will stop you!"

Samarra narrowed her eyes. " Really? You think so?" She pushed him over to the crystal that was showing Austin trying to get Ally to swim. " I think he is quite busy at the moment. You see, he was captured by fishermen and taken to an aquarium." As she said this, the picture changed to Austin in the fishing net.

Dracus whispered, " No." Samarra chuckled.

" And even if he were able to come back..." She dozed off, thinking about it for a second. Then she looked back at Dracus.

" Let's just put it this way. If Austin tries to come back, his precious Ally will be mine."  
Just then, Dracus was grabbed by the eels and dragged down into a dark cave.

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(1) PM me for the link to what Samarra looks like.  
(2) PM me for the link to the gulper eels. If you don't know what they look like.


	7. Chapter 7

For some reason, they haven't shut down the internet yet... Good news!

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Ally's POV

* * *

" Hey, Austin!"

I dragged my case up the stairs. Austin's head popped up out of the water and he rested it on the platform.

" I brought something that I want to show you." He looked at me, curiously.

" What is it?"

I pulled it out of the black case, that happened to be really heavy.

" It's called a keyboard...or piano." I smiled when his eyes squinted a little.

" It's okay, watch." I put the keyboard on my lap and he backed away a little. My fingers ran along the keys before I began to play a short tune. (AN: It's the piano piece at the end of the song " She is the Sunlight" by Trading Yesterday.) He smiled and moved closer to me.

Austin seemed to be fascinated with the piano after he heard me play. He pressed a key.

" Do you sing?" His question surprised me. I shook my head.

" Well I can sing, but... I choose not to. At least not in front of people."

He chuckled, " Technically, I'm not a person. I'm part fish." We both looked at each other before bursting out with laughter. After a while, we stopped.

" Please, Ally?"

I sighed. Sitting up straight, I played a tune on the piano and started to sing.

_I am colorblind_

_Coffee black and egg white_

_Pull me out from inside_

_I am ready, I am ready, I am ready_

_I am taffy stuck and tongue tied_

_Stutter-shook and uptight_

_Pull me out from inside_

_I am ready, I am ready, I am ready_

_I am fine_

_I am covered in skin_

_No one gets to come in_

_Pull me out from inside_

_I am folded and unfolded and unfolding_

_I am colorblind_

_Coffee black and egg white_

_Pull me out from inside_

_I am ready, I am ready, I am ready_

_I am fine, I am fine, I am fine_

Austin looked at me with wide eyes. " See, you have a beautiful voice." I smiled and blushed.

" At least you sing better than you can swim," he said, chuckling.  
I gasped and playfully pushed him into the water. He came back up laughing and shaking the water from his hair.

" Oh, Austin," a voice sing-songed.

We both turned to where it was coming from. An image appeared on the surface of the water. It was of a woman... and a man tied up in the background. They were both the same creature as Austin. Merpeople.

" Well, hello dear. Long time, no see." Austin moved in front of me.

" I've never met you before," he told the mermaid.

She grinned. " We didn't meet in person, but I believe you've met my friends."

Just then, three funny looking eels swam into the picture. I felt Austin tense up. His eyes grew wide. " It was you? You sent those things after me?"  
The eels swam behind the man that was tied up, but Austin didn't seem to notice. He was too focused on the woman.

" You're the one who got me caught by the fisherman and put into this place?"

The woman smiled and bowed a little. " My name is Samarra." Once she bowed, we could see a full image of the man behind her. Austin gasped.

" No!"

Samarra stood up straight again. " He is none of your concern anymore." Austin glared at her, his tail turning a bright red.

" I will get back there and save him and everyone else you have captured!"  
Samarra didn't seem to like that one bit. " I don't think you will be able to save all of Mertropolis because it will soon be mine, dear. You have a choice to make, Austin. If you choose to make the right one and stay away, I will not harm anyone. But... if you happen to choose the wrong one and try to come back... your little Ally will become mine."

Austin flinched.

" Ta-ta," she said wiggling her fingers and the image turned blank. He slowly turned to me.

" Austin, who was that?" He shrugged. " You're going to save them right?"  
He shook his head. " I'm not going. If I do, she will kill you ." I narrowed my eyes.

" Who was that man?"

He looked at me. " My dad." My mouth slipped open.

" You can't be serious! Tell me you are not choosing me over your dad!" He turned his head away from me. " If you don't go... your dad and everyone else of your kind will die!"

His eyes snapped up to meet mine. " And if I do go, she will find a way to capture you."

Tears started to form in my eyes. " Austin, this is your family we are talking about. You should care about them more right now."

Austin yelled, " Well I don't! I care about you more!"

" But what about your mom, your dad, your friends... they raised you!"

" My mom is dead, Ally! She died when I was four years old!" I stared at him.

" That doesn't mean you can just forget about the rest of them!"

" You're my best friend Ally." I shook my head.

" Not if you don't do this."

He glared at me, " You want me to be just like those bullies? You want me to not care about you anymore? You want me to just let you die?" I started to sob. " What about your mother? She wouldn't want you to die..." he said. I shook my head, the tears falling onto my shirt. " I'm not going."

I looked up at him. " And your mom wouldn't want your father to die," I said to him, trying not to cry so hard. He looked away from me. " Friends don't come before family, Austin," I said as I stood up. " If you don't save them, who will?"

Austin glared again. " Why do you care so much?!" By now my tears were already falling, nonstop.

" Because! I have no family! They died when I was three. At least you have a father! I have nothing! I have no one!" He stared at me in shock, his expression softened.

" And I'm not letting the same thing happen to you." I started to walk down the stairs, leaving my keyboard.

" Ally!" I heard him yell.

But I never stopped. As I walked pass the tanks viewing area, I could see Austin there banging on the glass. " Ally!" I ignored him and kept walking.  
When I got to the foster home, I slammed the door shut to my room. I looked up at the ceiling. " Mom... dad, I need you. What am I supposed to do? You guys said you would always be here for me!" I fell onto my bed, sobbing. " But you're not."

Rose knocked on the door. " Ally, are you okay in there?" I didn't answer. She walked into my room and shut the door behind her. " Ally?" she said as she sat on the bed, next to me.

" What happened?" I wiped my eyes and looked up at her.

" I made a friend at the aquarium. But something happened. His dad was captured and his friends will probably be captured too." She rubbed my back. " The lady said that is Austin tries to go back home and save his kind, then I will be killed. He won't listen to me. I told him to save his family and forget about me, but he just wouldn't listen. If he doesn't do all of his kind will die and it will be all my fault."

She looked at me. " Ally, what do you mean by his kind?"

I gulped. " Austin is a merman, Rose. That's why I've never told anyone about him, I was afraid that people would...do something."

Rose stood up and turned to me. " I won't let him let his family die," I told her, sobbing again.

" And why do you care so much about some creature and his family?"

" Because I just do!" I yelled at her. Now I was crying so loud that I was sure the people next door would hear me. Rose sat back down on the bed and wrapped her arms around me.

" He is not just a friend to you, huh?" she said, while gently rocking us. " You love him..." It wasn't a question. I looked up at her.

" Yes. And I'm not going to let his family die..."


	8. Chapter 8

Austin's POV

* * *

" Ally!" I yelled, banging on the glass. She wouldn't listen to me.

Its been four days already and she hasn't come back yet. I sat on the platform, imagining there next to me.

" Ally," I whispered and buried my face in my arms.

Suddenly, the water was swirling around, making a huge whirlpool in the middle of the tank. An image appeared, just like last time. It was Samarra.

" Hello, Austin. How have you been?" I didn't answer her, I just looked away. " Why so glum? Do you miss Ally?"

My eyes snapped back to meet hers. " What have you done with her?" I asked.

" Nothing yet. She is here with me." She moved out of the way and there was Ally in a huge bubble, ties around her wrists and ankles.

" Austin?" she whimpered.

" Ally!"

Samarra moved back to black Ally from my view. " See? She is perfectly fine."

" Why have you taken her? I didn't try to come back home."

She glared at me. " Don't blame me for what happened! She was the one who came to me, asking if I would capture her." I glanced to Ally.

" Ally, what have you done?"

Samarra laughed, " She has asked me to let the man go and leave Mertropolis alone. In exchange, I get her. And her life." My eyes widened.

" No, Ally! Why would you do that?!" She just shook her head. I glared at Samarra before saying," Why are you doing this?"

" You people killed my sister," she said, picking up a pearl bracelet. " You killed her and her baby. Before the baby could be born, she was captured and killed by fishermen. You guys did nothing to stop it and if Dracus would have just payed attention, then the baby would still be alive. Now you guys will know what it feels like to lose everything and everyone you love!"

" You better not hurt her!" I yelled.

" I won't, " she said, looking like she was about to cry. " But they will."

All of a sudden, a swarm of angler fish appeared out of nowhere, lighting up and surrounding Ally. She screamed. The image went blank. I searched the entire tank for a way out. I couldn't just jump out of the tank and climb down the stairs. Someone will see me and throw me back in. I looked over at the piano that Ally left.

Underneath it was her cell phone. " She must have forgotten that too. I can call someone on it," I thought to myself, grabbing the phone and looking through it. Rose. I remember Ally saying that she was her foster mother. It took me a while to figure out how to call her.

" Hello?"

" Rose!?"

" Who is this?"

I sighed, relieved. " This is Austin. Ally's friend. I need you to come down to the aquarium and bring a blanket, something has happened to Ally."

Rose gasped. " What happened?"

" I'll explain later. Just get down here. Tunnel 5, Exhibit 23." I hung up.  
Ten minutes later, Rose came up the stairs with a blanket.

" So, you're Austin?"

I shook my head, " No time. I need you to put the blanket around me and take me to the beach." She did as I said.

We got out of her truck and she put me on the ground, next to the water.  
" I have to save her. Wait here until I get back."

With that, I dove into the water. I had to get straight to Ally. I didn't even know where I was going. But I found the place. It was a deep, dark cave.

I hid in a small hole in the wall. I had a clear view of Ally and Samarra. The eels were stabbing the bubble with their tails and spraying gas into it. Ally coughed and choked and she couldn't do anything about it.

" The gas is only going to allow you to breathe underwater. The pain is only temporary. Pretty soon the bubble will fade and you will have no protection." Samarra was making a potion with her back facing Ally. " My pets will leave you alive, but just barely."

The angler fish screeched and tried to bite the bubble. " Hold on, my friends. You will have your chance." I could tell the bubble was weakening because it was getting lighter. The eels swam over to Samarra. She held the potion she was making up to the eels.

" Drink," she said, " you know what you have to do."

Each of the eels took a sip of the potion and swam out of the cave. The bubble had already disappeared and Ally was floating there, too weak to move.

" It is time." The angler fish swam behind Ally and pushed her towards Samarra. " Don't worry, this will only sting a little."

She held a needle up and my eyes widened.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you guys for all of the nice reviews! Sadly, this story is almost over... oh well. I'll just make other ones.

* * *

Austin's POV

* * *

I had to do something, so I swam at Samarra and knocked the needle out of her hand. It hit the wall and smashed into pieces.

" You?!"

The angler fish swam away, frightened. " Get back here!" Samarra yelled, but they didn't listen. I grabbed Ally by the wrist and began to pull her to the exit of the cave.

" Oh no you don't!" Samarra shouted. She pushed Ally away from me and threw me against the wall. I felt her hand wrap around my neck. " You're not going anywhere. It's too late. In a few minutes, the gas will wear off and Ally will die." Her grip on my neck tightened. My vision was starting to get blurry. An eel came out from hiding and stabbed Ally in the shoulder with its tail. She let out a scream.

" Ally!" I yelled, before growling at Samarra. Suddenly, she was pushed off of me and thrown across the room. I looked up, " Dad." I never thought I would be so happy to see anyone in my entire life.

" You get her," he pointed to Ally, " I'll get Samarra." I nodded and swam over to her. As soon as I grabbed her, I ripped her restraints off of her and Samarra started to laugh. I turned around to see that my dad had already tied her up.

" You can't save her," she said to me. " She's been poisoned. She only has a few minutes to live." My eyes narrowed and I yelled out, " Is there a cure?" She glared at me, struggling against the vines that were binding her wrists together.

" Like I would tell you where it is."

I hissed and moved closer to her, my tail turning red. " Where is it?!" I yelled. I snatched an eel that I saw lurking in the shadows, putting its poison-infected tail in front of her face. " If you don't tell me where it is, you'll be exactly in her situation."

She flinched, " It's the pearl." She pointed to her shelf, where a pearl bracelet was sitting. " She has to swallow the biggest one." I picked up the bracelet and snapped it, taking the big one. I swam back to Ally.

" You're going to be okay," I said. I wasn't sure if it was true.

" I need to warn the city of the angler fish and the eels. I'll be back for her later," my dad said before he left. I wrapped my arms around Ally once more and she whimpered. I swam, as quick as I could, back to the beach. I needed to get Ally out of the water or she will drown.

She was already lucky that the gas hadn't worn off just yet. But when I was about a little more than half way there, Ally struggled to breathe. I knew now that the affects of the gas wore off.

" Hold on, Ally. We're almost there," I said as I swam quicker. I could see the shore getting closer and closer.

* * *

Ally's POV

* * *

" Yes."

" And I am not going to let his family die..."

The day after I had talked to Rose about everything, I snuck out of the house at midnight. " I wonder if Austin will be okay without me," I thought to myself as I walked towards the beach, which we lived only ten minutes away from, on foot.

Once I got there, I walked to the tip of the water. It was surprisingly calm. Too calm. I gulped and stepped into it, until I was ankle deep. Looking out to the vast ocean, I yelled, " Samarra!"

No answer.

" I want to trade my life for Austin's dad and the rest of his kind!" I searched the open water for any sign of movement. Out in the distance was a huge wave getting closer to the shore. I didn't have any time to move out of the way, before I was swallowed by it. Everything went black.

When I woke up, I was in a large bubble and everything around me was dark. Just then, a light appeared next to me. Then I heard a loud screech and I was surrounded by angler fish.

" Stop tormenting my prisoner," Samarra said, the dark room now lit up by her glowing 'lamps' and the angler fish. " Time to call Austin." She swam in front of her crystal and with a wave of her hand, he appeared, looking depressed. Samarra then blocked my view from the crystal and Austin's view from me.

" Hello, Austin. How have you been?" There was no answer. " Why so glum? Do you miss Ally?"

I still couldn't see the crystal, but I heard him say, " What have you done with her?"

" Nothing yet. She is here with me." She moved out of the way so he could see me.

" Austin?" I whimpered.

" Ally!"

Samarra moved back to block our view from each other. " See, she is just fine."

" Why have you taken her? I didn't try to come back home." He was definitely not going to like her answer.

" Don't blame me for what happened! She was the one who came to me, asking if I would capture her." Samarra moved a little and Austin glanced at me.

" Ally, what have you done?"

Samarra laughed, " She has asked me to let the man go and leave Mertropolis alone. In return, I get her. And her life." His eyed widened.

" No, Ally! Why would you do that?!" I shook my head.

He glared at Samarra before saying, " Why are you doing this?"

" You people killed my sister," she said, picking up a pearl bracelet. ( By the way, they are not 'real' sisters. They were just really close. Why? You'll find out later on) " You killed her and her baby. Before the baby could be born, she was captured and killed by fishermen. You guys did nothing to stop it and if Drakus would have just payed attention, then the baby would still be alive. Now you guys will know what it feels like to lose everything and everyone you love!"

Isn't she talking about Austin and his mom?

" You better not hurt her!" he yelled.

" I won't," she said. " But they will."

A swarm of angler fish came out of nowhere, lighting up and surrounding me. I screamed. The image of Austin went blank. A little while after that, some eels surrounded the bubble I was in, stabbing it with their tails and spraying gas inside. I coughed and choked.

" It's okay. The gas is going to allow you to breathe underwater. The pain is only temporary. Pretty soon the bubble will fade and you will have no protection. That is what the gas is for." Samarra was making a potion, her back facing me. " My pets will leave you alive, but just barely." I could feel myself getting weaker from the gas. The angler fish screeched and tried to bite the bubble.

" Hold on, my friends. You will have your chance." The bubble was weakening. The eels swam over to Samarra and they drank the potion she made . They swam out of the cave. The bubble disappeared and I floated in the spot. " It is time." The angler fish swam behind me and pushed me towards her. " Don't worry, this will only sting a little." She held a needle up.

Suddenly, Austin rushed in and knocked the needle out of her hand, smashing it into pieces.

" You?!"

The angler fish swam away, frightened. " Get back here!" Samarra yelled, but they didn't listen. Austin grabbed me by the wrist and began to pull me to the exit of the cave. " Oh no you don't!" she shouted.

She pushed Austin away from me and threw him against the wall. I saw her wrap her hand around his neck. I tried to help him, but I was still too weak.

" You're not going anywhere. It's too late. In a few minutes, the gas will wear off and Ally will die."

She was going to kill him!

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and I screamed.

" Ally!" Austin yelled. My vision was blurred and my hearing was fuzzy so I don't know what happened next. I felt someone wrap their arms around me and I whimpered. I knew that the person was Austin because he started to swim out of the cave and to the shore. But the gas wore off and I struggled to breathe. My vision and hearing cleared up a little.

" Hold on, Ally. We're almost there," he said and he swam quicker.


	10. Chapter 10

Austin's POV

* * *

Finally, we burst out of the water and I climbed onto the sand, laying Ally down. Rose gasped, running over to us.

" She was given gas to help her breathe underwater. But it wore off. Luckily, I got her here in time." Rose kneeled down on the opposite side of her. " But she has been injected with poison." Once Rose heard the word poison, she got up and ran to her phone.

Ally looked up at me. " I'm sorry, Austin. I couldn't let your family die."  
I shushed her. " You were so worried about my family, that you forgot to take care of yourself." I pushed some of her wet hair back. I slid the pearl into her mouth and she swallowed it. Nothing seemed to happen, so I thought it was okay.

But then her eyes closed and she wasn't breathing.

" Ally?" I gently shook her. " Ally, wake up." She didn't move at all.

" Wake up, Ally!" I yelled, shaking her harder.

" You can't leave me." My tail turned blue and I felt tears stream down my face. I rested my forehead on hers. " You can't die... your not really my friend." I opened my eyes and looked at her closed ones.

" I love you."

Rose ran down to us with some people from an ambulance. They put her onto a stretcher and carried her off. They all got into the van, including Rose, and drove away.

" There you are!" the owner of the aquarium said with a bunch of people behind him. They threw a net over me and took me back to the aquarium.

* * *

Ally's POV

* * *

We burst out of the water and Austin lay me down onto the sand.

" She was given gas to help her breathe underwater. But it wore off. Luckily, I got her here in time." I saw Rose kneel beside me. " But she has been injected with poison." Rose got up and ran out of my view.

I looked up at him. " I'm sorry, Austin. I couldn't let your family die." He shushed me.

" You were so worried about my family, that you forgot to take care of yourself."

He pushed some of my hair back and slid the pearl into my mouth. I swallowed it.

But I couldn't breathe and my eyes closed.

" Ally?" He shook me gently. " Ally, wake up," I heard him say.

" Wake up, Ally!" he yelled, shaking me harder. " You can't leave me." I felt something wet touch my face as he rested his forehead on mine. " You can't die... your not really my friend." My eyes wouldn't open, no matter how hard I tried.

" I love you."

That was the last thing I heard.

* * *

I woke up in a hospital bed.

" Austin?" I said, grabbing my head. I tried sitting up, but Rose lay me back down.

" Austin's not here, Ally. You need to rest." I looked up at her.

" But what about Austin? Is he okay?" Rose nodded.

" He was taken back to the aquarium." I sighed. " Just get some rest. You can go see him some other time, when you're all better." And I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Austin's POV

* * *

" I could have saved her," I thought to myself. I was sitting in the same cave I was in the first time I met Ally. The people brought me back to the aquarium after they found me on the beach. If I was out of the water, tears would have been forming.

I haven't eaten in three days. I've never even come out of this cave, ever since they've dumped me back in here. Every time someone would come up the stairs to feed me, I would just ignore them. It was the same thing again today. Feeding time and I knew I wouldn't eat. I heard the splash of the seaweed hitting the water. But today, something was off. The person didn't leave after they threw the seaweed in. I peeked out of the cave and looked up towards the platform.

Ally.

She was sitting there, dangling her feet in the water. I swam up slowly and popped my head out of the water. She smiled at me. And the next time she did surprised me.

She slid herself into the water and swam over to me.

When she got to me, she wrapped her arms around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist. " So, I'm not really your friend?" I smiled at her.

" No. You mean much more to me than that." She smiled back at me. " I thought you were afraid of the water."

She giggled, " Not when I am with you... And besides, I was in the deepest and darkest part of the ocean. I think I can handle this." We both laughed and I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

" May I...?" I said, looking down at her lips. She nodded, smiling.  
Then, I leaned down and kissed her.

After we pulled away, I grinned and lifted my hand. " My dad gave this to me after he married my mom, before she died." I held up a small, light blue, pearl necklace. " He gave one to my mother when they were about our age. She was human... like you, Ally."

She looked at me, surprised.

" But I thought you said she was captured by fishermen?"

I smiled, " She was. Put it on."

As she grabbed it from me, I swam behind her and helped her put it on. After I closed the clasp, the water began to swirl around her. She looked up at me, unsure of what was happening. " Austin...? What's going on?"  
Just then, her legs snapped together and a colorful tail was forming.

* * *

PM me for the link to Ally's tail.


End file.
